From a self defense perspective, what are the advantages or disadvantages of a .40 vs. a 357 Sig? I have a .45 and do not like it purely due to recoil and noise. I am considering moving down to one of the above. Thanks for any feedback.
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From a self defense perspective, what are the advantages or disadvantages of a .40 vs. a 357 Sig? I have a .45 and do not like it purely due to recoil and noise. I am considering moving down to one of the above. Thanks for any feedback.
If you don't like the recoil on a .45, you'll probably hate the .40 or .357. I recommend that you try some lighter loads and better ear protection with the .45, or consider dropping down to a 9mm. It's plenty for SD, if you shoot it well.
Recoil - Drop down to a 185 grain bullet for your .45, you'll probably fall in love all over again with it.
Noise - You are headed in the wrong direction if noise is a problem. Both the .40 and (especially) the .357 Sig are looooouuuuuuddddd!!! Higher pressures result in louder noise. Recoil on the .357 is also a little more stout than a 230grain .45. The recoil on the .40 is comparable, IMO.
Zhur
Noise should not be a consideration because you and anybody nearby when you shoot, should be wearing ear protection. :smt076
If you prefer lower recoil go to a 9MM
From a self-defense perspective? Whichever one you shoot better. Doesn't quite answer your specific question, but...
Whichever you can reliably put more lead on target with should be your main concern, due to the fact that neither you nor the bad guy will care how loud the report is, nor what diameter the round you put into his person is. A well placed .357sig or .40s&w round is better than a miss with .45acp, and all variations of the above.
But indeed, try different loads. There may be one out there that "clicks" with you.
To provide input to your question, .357sig is an expensive overpenetrator, and .40s&w is fairly similar to 9mm.
Be sure to have fun finding your dream gun!
+1 The lighter round will give you a little less flipQuote:
Originally Posted by zhurdan
Just my opinion: a 45 shoves, a 40S&W snaps. I love the shove. The 357sig snaps also. It is a flat trajectory shooter that will shoot fast and far. In 125gr, it is very similar ballistically to a 357magnum, but is about 100 fps slower. Aw. As for overpenetration, first you have to hit your target. Many law enforcment agencies are using the 357sig round. Blow off any statements about near misses. Any caliber, no matter how big, fast, etc. is useless if you do acquire the target. That's a moot point. All of these calibers are unpleasant to shoot if you are not ready to endure a little whump. I shoot and carry 2 different 45's and love the shove. I also miss my 357 magnum and am looking into acquiring a 357sig caliber semi-auto. Got to shoot a 100 rounds through a Sig Sauer chambered in it and really fell off the cliff. Good luck in your search.
You did ask for advantages and disadvantages 40 vs 357sig.
While I like my 40 S&W ( Sig 229, and you can have either barrel or both with the same gun. Magazines are the same you merely order a second barrel! I use my brother's 357 barrel in my 40 withourt an issue. ) the main "advantage" I could see with the 357sig
round, is that it is a "necked" down 40 case. The 357 sig should be less prone to Feed issues issues than a 40. That said I have never had a Feed issue with my 229 and shooting the 40 barrel. As far as recoil I really don't notice that much difference between my SIG 40 and my other 45's.
From a balistic standpoint the 357 sig is very close to a 357 Magnum.
Same bullet and nearly the same velocity. ( yes it does snap) The 357sig is a very accurate round. But as to an "overpenetrator"? The 357 magnum as been proven over time to be a very effective "one shot stop" caliber.
I see no reason why the 357 sig at the near same ballistics would not be the same. One big issue if you wish to shoot the 357 sig very much is cost.
Check the cost of 357sig ammo. If this is strictly a SD weapon that may not be an issue. But I like to practice alot with my SD pistol. ( that is my 40 S&W).
As an adendum to the question not asked!! I also shoot a S&W 386 in 357 Mag. 6 inch barrel. Recoil of the 357 sig with a 229 is much more managable with the autos vs revolver! And the 357 Mag is REALLY LOUD.
So.... I've read on this same forum, that a 147gr 9mm will recoil LESS in a short barreled gun than 115gr or 124gr.Quote:
Originally Posted by DevilsJohnson
But NOW a 185gr 45acp will "flip" less than a 230 gr?
I'm getting myself a reloading press for Christmas... I'll have lotsa-data for you all come January...
Anyone want to buy me a chronograph? I'll do unlimited velocity/load testing for you...
JeffWard
The first part is correct, but the second is wrong. They are NOT the same bullets. The .357 Magnum fires a bullet with a diameter of .358 inches. The .357SIG is the same bullet as a 9mm with a diameter of .355 inches. 3 Thousandth is 1 thousandth smaller than the thickness of a sheet of notebook paper but it is significant enough that they are not interchangable from .357 Mag to .357SIG. If going from .357SIG to be used in a .357 Mag a slight crimp must be applied to the case but you may not get optimal performance when fired.Quote:
Originally Posted by sig229
Growler,
I do know they are not the same bullet, and should have state as such. The point I was making is they are "close enough" ( that .003 is not going to effect ballistics) that as far as velocity and bullet weight ( and yes .003 smaller dia) they should perform the nearly the same. ie. there is a lot of data on the 357 magnum on "real world" stops. That was my point.
I wasn't trying to imply you could hand load either bullet in either case.
For SD purposes they should be close.